Welcome to This Week in Trumplandia, a new Rumpus column in which I, your passionate, sometimes angry, mostly emotional, Aries/Taurus cusp host, will highlight PEOTUS-related news that you need to know.

Who am I? I’m a freelance writer from Philadelphia (also, the biggest fan of Buffy) who wants to make a difference and stand against the xenophobia, white supremacy, misogyny, and general bigotry of Trump and his supporters.

The men who called me names were always white men, dressed in the shirts and ties that marked them as belonging to a different class than I did. They sat down next to me when I asked them not to, they kept touching me when I asked them to stop.

Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad won the National Book Award on Wednesday night. In his acceptance speech he told us, “We’re happy in here; outside is the blasted hellhole wasteland of Trumpland. Be kind to everybody. Make art and fight the power.”

Not only was this apt for the evening, but it also describes the landscape of his novel, which presents us with several different Americas, including the diverse, literary America he was referring to.

Sunday: I work through the voting guide, propositions, and candidates, making my decisions. My partner, Argyle C, Klopnick (ACK!), is sure, now, that Hillary’s victory is certain. I ‘m not yet a believer. I think Trump is electable.

Following last week’s election results, the writing world has been full of voices reminding us of the power of words to protest, to heighten awareness, and to effect change. Whether through poetry, essay, memoir, fiction, or otherwise, words are an important vehicle for reaching those who need support, challenging those who need to be called out, bearing witness to injustice, and raising visibility of marginalized groups.

Not in your echoing womb,to scream at you across your fields to wake up,not part of your denial that Earth is burning,dehydrated, suffocating on itself—I stood in a blue statewhile you bled the red of its people—(Our people: recall how they grew upacross Holt Street, Maple Street from us, yes?)—delusional that you were the world’s own,unothered.

I don’t consider myself a political person. To me, there are no “wrong” political beliefs. I believe that democracy means respecting everyone’s right to her opinion. And if I were forced to declare my own political views, I would have to reluctantly admit that, out of cynicism and self-interest, I find myself increasingly leaning towards the right.

There was no denying it, Athena was lost. She had walked the road to Deasey Castle for many years, but now, no matter what road she took, the glorious castle spires were no closer.

Escape the never-ending political sideshow for some fun fictional role-playing and follow Athena Kindness, warrior and opportunistic people-pleaser, through selections of her tumultuous journey to the castle on top of the hill, written by Wayne Gladstone over at McSweeney’s.

The nominee’s scheduled event at Chicago on Friday night was cancelled due to the overwhelming attendance of protesters chanting lyrics to Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.” Trump may still be steamrolling his way into other cities and we don’t condone any violence that may have occurred in the rally, but it’s nice to see ignorance cower in the face of hip-hop, wouldn’t you say?

“The guys with the biggest mouths are always the most fragile.”–Donald Trump, at a rally in New Orleans, March 4th 2016

Leaving the airplane hangar, thousands of Trump 2016 signs sandwiched under the arms of red, white, and blue t-shirts and American flag windbreakers, I find myself unlucky enough to be walking behind a trio of white, middle-aged men back to the distant parking lot.

Voting for a third party is the way I choose to voice my dissent. It’s a vote toward realignment, a recalibration, of our political system. The dominant parties are stricken with tunnel vision; their economic promises are distracting us from other critically important issues...more

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